There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, where casino wagering is illegal. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the common tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that highlights many comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which has ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.